Why The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Was Banned On Flights, Recalled & Finally Discontinued

Let's travel back to 2016. Marvel Studios was dominating the box office with "Captain America: Civil War," Beyoncé released "Lemonade," and Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 7. There was a lot to like about the latest evolution of the Galaxy Note series. It had a IP68 water resistance rating, an edge-to-edge HDR screen, and an iris scanner for security. We at SlashGear even called the Galaxy Note 7 the best Android of 2016 in our review at the time. But, after the device went on sale, some users began complaining that their Note 7 devices were exploding.

The Galaxy Note 7 featured wireless charging and a long-lasting battery that would quickly charge in less than an hour. While those are common smartphone features today, Samsung was quickly advancing the industry with them in 2016. Unfortunately, Samsung said it had rushed some of its manufacturing too much. Soon after launch, damning reports began to hit the internet. Naturally, Samsung issued replacements with different batteries, but those had safety problems too, it turned out.

A later investigation into the Galaxy Note 7 battery fires revealed the cause behind the pocket explosives. The first series of batteries had a design flaw in the upper right corner that could cause it to short circuit. Then, after those were recalled, a welding defect in another set of batteries led to similar short circuits and, ultimately, fires.

Once it was clear Samsung had a serious, widespread problem with the Galaxy Note 7s exploding, it didn't take long for higher powers to step in.

In October 2016, a few months after the smartphone's release, the United States Department of Transportation issued a ban keeping anyone from bringing all Galaxy Note 7 devices on an airplane. The emergency order included whether someone was carrying it in their pocket, a carry-on, or a checked bag. Government regulators also banned the Galaxy Note 7 from being shipped as air cargo. It was an unprecedented yet understandable total ban.

Later that month, Samsung expanded its recall of the Galaxy Note 7 to include the replacement devices it sent out, allowing customers to either exchange it for a new device or receive a full refund. As a result, the exploding smartphones were all but wiped from existence. Eventually, the Galaxy Note 7 returned as a refurbished device under the moniker "FE," or "Fan Edition." Although Samsung wants nothing more than to forget the incident ever occurred, the Note 7 recall prompted tough new battery regulations, and renewed testing processes from Samsung.